


Dancing Across the Battlefield

by foursugarcubes



Category: Dragalia Lost (Video Game)
Genre: A lot - Freeform, Ballroom Dancing, Blushing Elisanne, Blushing Julietta, Dancing Lessons, Dresses, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gay, Infiltration, Lesbians in Love and on a Mission Together, Like, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Undercover Missions, a lot of it, mission briefing, what would you even designate any of this as
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:47:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22517230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foursugarcubes/pseuds/foursugarcubes
Summary: Elisanne was used to expecting the unexpected.This however? This exceeds all of that.(Alternatively, the paladyns take on a mission together and it's very gay)
Relationships: Elisanne/Julietta (Dragalia Lost)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. The Setup

**Author's Note:**

> I heard a voice while I was taking a shower:
> 
> " _Have you considered... Undercover Lesbians?_ "
> 
> "Wait wh-"
> 
> " _Goodbyeeeeee_ "
> 
>   
> and now we're here

Elisanne was used to expecting the unexpected.

Only Ilia knows of the countless things she has undergone while serving under Prince Euden; from fighting an octopus pirate in the astral realms to dressing up as a rather attractive vampire in order to lure fiends away (she did not enjoy it, no she did not). She has even been granted the position of Grand Paladyn which, by all means, was one of the most shocking revelations in her life. However, none of these moments could ever top when Julietta had asked to court her; truly a day full of blushing, talking, and holding hands. Yes, Elisanne has seen so many events that now, she thinks she can handle almost anything thrown in her path.

Oh, how wrong she was.

This tale starts as such: The little messenger Noelle, greets her with a salute in the halls of the Halidom, carrying a wax-sealed envelope with the Church’s sigil. Strange, she thinks, hardly any official mail is ever sent; she only receives notices for Chivalric Conclaves, and the next one would not be held anytime soon.

She absentmindedly thanks the young messenger, as she opens up the letter hurriedly, unfolding the pieces of paper and pouring over the page.

…

…

“WHAT?!”

~*~*~

“A gala?” Cleo asks, pouring out a cup of tea and handing it over.

Elisanne nods, accepting the tea gratefully. The paladyn, after reading the letter, immediately rushed over to whom she deems a most worthy advisor, and they sat down in one of the castle’s common rooms. She passes the letter to the sylvan, her hand shaking the entire way.

Cleo reads it aloud: 

“ _To the Grand Paladyn Elisanne,_

__

__

_You are hereby cordially invited to attend our annual gala in the name of our goddess, Ilia. The event will take place in three weeks’ time, in St. Johannes Cathedral. Please make any necessary preparations to attend to the best of your abilities…_ ”

Cleo frowns, reading the next page. “It seems like you have no choice but to go. The itinerary and dress code are mentioned here as well.”

Elisanne groans. “Cleo, I desperately wish to avoid this at all costs.”

“But why? I know you enjoy attending fancy events and dressing up.”

The paladyn slowly turns red, gently placing down her tea before she can do any damage. “I do not! I just— the Ilian Gala is an event with high prestige; only experienced paladyns, elders within the Church and specific nobles are even allowed to join! I have never been to one myself, and I know as I attend, every action I make, every word I speak will be watched. And because the balance between the different factions lies in high tension right now, I can only pray to Ilia that nothing terrible happens that night. I, with my whole heart, do not wish to go.”

Cleo nods. “But you must.”

“Fie, I must.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I already have a dress prepared for you-”

Elisanne sputters. “Cleo! Why in any case would you have—”

The door to the room suddenly bursts open, Euden glancing over them, baring a grim expression on his face. “We have a problem.”

~*~*~ 

Euden gathers the regular lot of them to the throne room, along with Vice and Julietta. Elisanne shares a curt nod with Vice and goes to stand beside Julietta. The other paladyn momentarily grasps her hand, giving her a reassuring squeeze, before reverting back to her serious composure.

Euden waits for everyone to find their space around the large table, a map of Graestea chiselled into the marble. He clears his throat. “We’ve received specific intel from Vice and his network that an assassination is in the process of planning.” Vice nods his assent. Worried murmurs echo throughout the room. “According to what Vice has told me, the assassin plans to eliminate the cardinal of Kleifheim, Sarima, during the annual Ilian gala in three weeks.”

Immediately Elisanne and Cleo lock eyes, passing each other messages without words.

Euden continues. “As the gala is extremely prestigious, meaning only specific people are invited and allowed to go, we will search for one such person who will be our eyes and ears for the event.” He turns to Elisanne. “Elly, is there anyone within the Church that you trust that will be willing to help?”

She shakes her head. “I… I just received an invitation myself this morning.”

Luca whoops, flashing a bright grin. “Way to go Elly! Already one step ahead of the game.”

Euden nods. “Good. That gives us more time to track this assassin down. Vice?”

“Yeah,” he clears his throat, putting his hands on the table. “This guy was at the top of his game just a few years ago. He’s really good at magic; can create special illusions to disguise himself and infiltrate wherever to kill whoever. Honestly, I envy the guy.”

Elisanne frowns; the assassin sounds terribly hard to catch. “Pray, do you know any of his weaknesses? Or how he uses his magic?”

Vice raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, I was getting to that. Anyway, his source of illusion magic comes from some kind of jewel that he wears; I think it’s blue? Some dark colour? His magic allows him to access the jewel’s light properties and refract light off it; then he uses that to project a new image on himself.”

“So, the assassin would be wearing some sort of dark blue jewelry that’s recognizable?” Euden asks.

Vice grunts an affirmative. “The crystal is a little bigger than normal, maybe the size of a large pendant. His illusion’s also not perfect; when he touches things or physically interacts with people, the illusion will look off.”

“Good. Now Elly will know what to look for.” Euden turns to the paladyn. His gaze softens. “You’re okay with going through with this, right?”

She nods. “I was summoned; it’s my responsibility as Grand Paladyn; but I’m glad I can now go with further purpose.” She takes a deep breath and looks down at her feet. “I just wish I did not have to enter this alone.”

“You can invite one other person.” Cleo pipes up. Everyone in the room turns to look at her. She shrugs. “I read the rest of her invitation.”

Julietta steps forward, putting her hand on Elisanne’s shoulder. “It’ll be my honour to be at your side.” She quickly retracts her hand, as if stung by a bee. “Um, that is, if you’ll have me.”

“Of course! I can think of no one else fit for the task.” Elisanne reaches for her hand, holding it tightly. They share a small smile.

Notte coughs. “Also like, isn’t Julietta the only person she can probably invite without attracting the attention of all those weirdos?” The room echoes in agreement.

“So, it’s settled then,” Euden says, standing up straight. “We’ll have Elly and Julietta infiltrate the gala for us as honoured guests, and the rest of us can back them up once they find the target.” He pauses for a moment, before continuing. “But, there’s probably no way you both can actively scout out people while remaining inconspicuous. There has to be some downtime where you can look around without raising any attention—“

“There is a full ballroom waltz in the third hour of the gala. They’ll have a good look at almost everyone as they dance around _together_ ,” Cleo replies. Again, everyone looks at her. “What? I’m just reciting what was on the letter.”

Suddenly, the paladyns’ held hands feel extremely clammy. The two look at their conjoined hands, and stare at each other. Their faces turn bright red. _Together???_ They start to speak at the same time.

“By Ilia—”

“I can’t possibly—”

“Well then it’s settled!” Notte interrupts, grinning. “The two lovebirds get to tango on a mission _together_! Literally!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *marth crossover voice* together!!
> 
> thank you as always for reading!! tell me what you think!


	2. The Other Setup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The paladyns learn exactly how to dance from some... very reliable sources.

“Okay!” Felicia claps her hands together, slightly bouncing up and down. “We’ll start the first lesson now if you two are ready!” Elisanne and Julietta stand awkwardly, staring straight at the sylvan with… stars? Are those stars in her eyes right now?

After the meeting about the assassin, the paladyns (begrudgingly) decided to prepare for the gala (and thus the dance) and asked the resident professionals for help. Felicia jumped at the chance (most literally), and with not a moment to waste, started training process immediately. The rest of the main crew assured Elisanne and Julietta that they would handle all the fiends and other miscreants so the paladyns could focus solely on their mission, (much to their dismay).

And so, Felicia, Julietta and Elisanne all banded together and chose a clearing in small quiet grove outside the Halidom; the paladyns wanted a private space, and Felicia wanted someplace outside, where Phantom might accompany her. Even now, the large dragon is curled up amongst the trees, napping lightly, occasionally opening a large eye to observe the scene in front of him.

“We’re ready!” Elisanne answers, turning to Julietta for confirmation. She nods her assent, staring holes into the ground. 

Felicia grins. “Great! So, I’m not as familiar with partnered dancing, but I’ll try my best! Waltz and the style I normally dance are fairly similar in the way of steps, so I’ll be able to guide your movements. Let’s get started!”

The two, being terribly shy at first, tiptoe around each other, and terribly stiff —Felicia softly chides them about it a couple times — but every physical interaction they have is delicate, gentle and loving. The grove is full of laughter, and the occasional dragon snore. Felicia smiles through all of it; their mistakes, their quick learning, and always offers up her applause. With every step, they get further into the groove of things; the paladyns hold each other in confidence, grinning from ear to ear as they sway through the steps, even switching up the lead from time to time.

And so they dance. For days on end it’s all that’s on their minds; how to perfect certain spins and turns, how to walk gracefully and fluidly, and how to keep each other the most comfortable. It becomes natural to them, a second home; occasionally outside of practice one would spin the other, and continue to dance in their own time. They smile as they improve and improve, granting each other silent praise through their eyes, finishing up their routine.

“Breathtaking, guys!” Felicia cheers. “Oh! I have one more thing I’d like to show you before we go back for dinner.” 

Elisanne blinks. “Oh, it’s dinnertime already?” She looks at the sky, only to see pink and orange hues start to peek through. She smiles. “We must’ve lost track of time.”

“We sure have,” Julietta replies, grinning. She turns to Felicia. “So, that last thing?”

The dancer nods. “You guys are going to attempt a dip!” Both paladyns stare blankly. “I’m sure you’ve heard of it before! I’ll show you how and then we can do it at the end of the little routine we’ve created here.” The paladyns watch and listen to her example, their cheeks slowly flushing. “Alright!” Felicia continues, “Now it’s your turn!”

Elisanne and Julietta get into position, the nervous flutter from the beginning of their practices back at full force. With the dancer counting their steps in the background, announcing certain moves as they come, the paladyns get back into their rhythm, their dance movements well defined.

It’s back to this moment again, where it feels like nothing else matters; not the mission, not the missteps, not the large dragon sleeping in the background. It’s simply Elisanne and Julietta, in this moment, together.

“Okay!” Felicia calls, “finish the turn, and dip!”

Immediately, Elisanne supports Julietta’s back as she holds on tightly to Elisanne’s shoulders. They lurch forward as one, holding the motion, and simply just… breathing. There is only silence, their soft panting and the faint chatter of birds in the air. 

Julietta blinks a couple times, looking up at Elly. She laughs, bright and clear. “We’ve done it!”

Elisanne giggles as she lifts her back up. “We have! We really have!” Felicia cheers somewhere in the background. The paladyn embraces her tightly and feels the other’s hands quickly come to embrace her back. They hold each other for a while longer, basking in each other’s presence.

A deep purr interrupts them, as Phantom rises from his slumber. Felicia smiles at him, beckoning him to her. She turns to back to the others. “Better go get some food before it’s all gone! I hope you had fun today.” The paladyns thank her, walking off towards the Halidom. They say nothing the entire way back; only stealing shared smiles with one another, their hands firmly linked.

(They don’t see the sylvan approach the dragon, nor the dragon shapeshift and take her hands, going through the same steps the paladyns had just completed.)

They reach the dining hall at its peak; everyone is already eating, and loud chatter and laughter fills the air. The two grab their food and sit down at a half empty table; happy to eat in the silence and company of each other. 

Immediately, a third plate gets put onto the table, interrupting their silence. Elisanne looks up to see familiar brown curls, kept not at all in place by a bright yellow hairband. “Oh! Luther, hello,” she greets. “It’s good to see you.”

The dancer grins, sitting down. “Hey! It’s great to see you guys too.” He takes a bite of his food. “So,” he continues, swallowing, “I heard from Felicia that you both picked up the waltz almost immediately. That’s really good!”

Julietta nods, smiling. “Yes, although I wouldn’t say immediately-“

“Nah, are you kidding? Felicia told me all about it! Only took you a few days to get all the moves down; and then you started perfecting it! You guys really got the groove.”

The pair chuckle and shake their heads. “We’re merely trying our best with what we have,” Elisanne says. 

“And we’ve had a good teacher,” Julietta adds.

Luther chuckles. “You guys really are in perfect sync huh?” The question catches the paladyns off guard, and they turn at the same time to look at each other. “Wow,” Luther says, engrossed, “you really have that down to a science.”

“Please, it’s just a coincidence-“

“We really aren’t as in sync as you think-“

“Y’know I’m really glad you guys got into dance,” Luther says, suddenly solemn. He looks down with a soft smile. “It’s not only something I feel I can pour my whole self into, but something just so… beautiful that I can share with someone else y’know?” He looks back up with a full grin. “Connecting with someone through the power of dance… why, I can’t think of anything more romantic I’d like to do.”

The two stare at him, unblinking.

“I hope you two do a lot of it, ya hear? Even if it’s just for this mission; I’d like you to keep those memories stored in your heart.” 

Suddenly, a hand taps his shoulder, the figure already striding away. “Luther, finish up! You told me it was our turn to teach the kids! Don’t be late!”

“Oh!” Luther hurriedly shoves the rest of his food into his mouth and gets up, taking his plate. “Coming Sunshine!” He waves back to the paladyns, beaming as he follows after. “Gotta split; Orsem’s gonna kill me if he has to handle dancing lessons by himself. Nice talkin’ to ya!”

Elisanne and Julietta watch as he leaves, a flush in his cheeks and a spring in his step.

“Is he?”

“Are they?” they say right after each other. They stare for a couple seconds, thinking about what Luther said earlier, about being in sync, before bursting into laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really really really really like felicia and phantom,,, and luther n orsem can u tell
> 
> thanks for reading!! please tell me your feelies :3c


End file.
